Add ability to sell Serial Number Products in RepairShopr! Antivirus, Backup Software, etc
Serial Number Products! Please vote all! This could be HUGE!
This is an integral part of our business and I'm surprised others haven't needed this feature or requested it yet -
Here is the idea:
It would be great to have a product type that supported Serial Number Sales.
Any product that you carry such as:
- Microsoft Office
- Antivirus Software
- Backup Software
This would be great to have in RepairShopr. Currently we are storing all of our serial numbers either in an excel spreadsheet or in their original physical boxes... both are unsecure and not reliable... but we've made it this far!
Imagine... no more spreadsheets for tracking serial codes! AWESOME!
The way I've seen this done...
Inventory Side:
Add a product, set as "has serial numbers". It will ask for the "buying price" of the antivirus software.
IMPORTANT NOTE it is extremely important that this "buying price" be associated with the antivirus key codes that are put into the "restock" of the product. We often see the price of these products go up and down. So to be accurate in accounting... every restock of the same product should have accurate tracking of the purchase price of the restocked item...
In another text box area... you could put each serial code on each line of the text box... Each serial code could be separated even by the line itself or by a comma (or other identifiable separator).
Click "restock" and now you have more codes available for purchase!
The great thing is that Repairshopr already has a "low inventory" alert so when the keys are running out, you can great an alert! Brilliant!
Example:
Product: Webroot Antivirus 2014 Secure Anywhere
Has Serial Numbers: Yes
Serial Numbers: 10 remaining (Restock button) (View Button - only viewable based on granular permissions)
Restock Alert: 5
Restock button section (only viewable based on granular permissions)
Purchase Price: $15
Serial Numbers: 1234-1233-1233-1233, 3jfd-3423-2343-yir0
(Add Stock Now Button)
This would add the date of the "restock" and correctly track the price of the restock for accurate accounting and profit tracking.
Restock button section (only viewable based on granular permissions)
Purchase Price: $20 (PRICE INCREASE)
Serial Numbers: 1234-1233-1233-1233, 3jfd-3423-2343-yir0
(Add Stock Now Button)
Both Restock scenarios would go to the same product but would have different costs based on which keys are added into the POS.
POS Side
This part is really simple. All the staff/techs have to do is simply find the software in the POS system and add it to the ticket. The ticket will automatically grab the next "unused" key from the product key area (text box area described earlier).
Administrator Side
For the products that are specified as "Has Serial Numbers", they should always be a check and balance system to help track "when the key was used, what client it went to, what employee added the key to the transaction, what transaction number the key is assigned to, and how much it was sold for". This is important to prevent theft of these keys but also to provide clear auditing of software sold to clients.
Serial Number viewing/logs should be accessible only by those allowed using the new granular security system implemented recently. Employees do not need to see all keys or how many are left. They simply need to sell and install the software with the correct key. Management of the keys should be handled by a manager (parts manager, order manager, etc...)
Marketr Side
If the product is assigned a certain "type" such as serial number that needs yearly renewals... They could get an automatic email based on this product type and Marketr campaign. Might be an easy assignment! I know the software currently has this feature but I have not had time to really explore and utilize this (as I should though because its lost revenue each time someone doesn't renew through us).
If this was auto set based on the product, such as a field labeled "Marketer Campaign". You could assign a campaign to the product itself. Maybe this is already possible - I'll have to research. Love some help on this!
Potentials for the future.
Ability for clients to request a new product key using the leads section when their yearly renewal is due. They could get a link in their email like:
Subject: Your antivirus is about to expire!!! 3 Days remaining
"Click here" if you want a "tech" to contact you with a new key. Don't wait for your Antivirus to Expire. Be safe... don't be sorry.
They click the "click here" link and repairshopr automatically creates a lead stating that they need a new key and that someone should contact them to resell them a new key.
Maybe at a later point, even have a way for the client to repurchase the key themselves? Auto add to their account and have them pay through the portal?
Potential Concerns
- When should an employee be able to see a product key? Should they be able to see it before the transaction is paid for? I'd assume yes because they need to install it. But... what would stop them from clicking the software.. writing down the key... and then deleting the software from the transaction?
What are some ways around this? I'd love to see some ideas and thoughts about this. How to keep it secure... how to keep it efficient... and to keep our businesses growing without all the "manual" tracking and work.
Thanks for reading all of this!
Please vote and have a great day all!
-Chuck
Hello Everyone — Wanted to make sure you all knew that we’ve launched Serialized Inventory! Here’s our article on it: http://feedback.repairshopr.com/knowledgebase/articles/262782-can-i-add-serial-numbers-to-my-inventory. Chuck (one of our power users) has created an additional thread for the ecommerce parts of the previous serialized thread. Feel free to comment and log your votes here: http://feedback.repairshopr.com/forums/165658-general/suggestions/6162772-integrate-e-commerce-platforms-with-rs-sell-serv. Thanks!
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Ryan (CTO, Pinellas Computers) commented
Good collaboration, Chuck. I think we're both in gear on what is critical and what we're wishing for.
Reflecting on a miscommunication (#2): I was speaking more figuratively when I mentioned "it needs to be paid for". What I meant was it needs to be invoiced, because invoices need to be paid for. As you mentioned, not everything is prepaid (heck, we rarely take pre-payments). I'd be happy with licenses being displayed once an invoice line item is created. Once the audit trail is created, there's accountability. I guess we'd just have to keep an eye on invoices that had licenses added and then removed.
As far as #3 and #4 - I'll warn you, the current PO system is weak; and I don't think Troy/Robert will argue with me on that. Basically, PO's allow you to order inventory at non-default pricing. In a sense; in batches. So, my standard cost entered for a 15.6 LED screen is $49.50. If I just "up" my quantity on hand from 4 to 5, RS assumes the cost was $49.50 when sold. But when I receive a PO with the cost entered at $46.25, RS knows that I'm making more than the standard cost. PO's are definitely something I want upgraded in the future, but they are indeed more of an accounting feature, which RS never claimed (or plans) to be :( Pretty sure that's why they work so hard to implement QuickBooks (which is what I switched from) (and hate) (and refuse to use now). Haha.
As far as #5, not sure what is different compared to #3? If you we're agreeing that making a line item (and displaying a key) creates an audit trail; what's the difference in POS? When you make a POS sale, it's just an invoice made out to "Walkin Customer". Invoices can't be deleted, and track audit data of line items. So, you'd be able to see if an invoice was created with a key and then deleted, right? Maybe I'm misunderstanding what you want (though I'm not misunderstanding that security is important.
In any case: I think we are on the "usage needs" level and I like a lot of your other posts. We should collaborate via phone sometime :)
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Power commented
please add the serial\imei
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Kevin Dolin commented
This would be an awesome feature!
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Chuckles (Instigator, RS User) commented
Specifics are important... End goals are important - otherwise recreating or redoing work can be just as frustrating. I agree, even if a basic implementation of this was done... I think a lot of people would be really happy!
1. I Agree
2. I like the invoice created idea... then an audit trail is created. The problem is... that not all work is prepaid so a "paid" status won't always work to display the key. Some work is part of a large package like a "rebuild and protect" package. Agreed on being able to delete the line item and then be able to put the "unused" key back into the database to be used later.
3. Thanks for the input - I'll check into the PO options for cost tracking...I'm curious if the PO cost tracking reflects in the Inventory correctly... As I stated in my example - If the same product is restocked at a different cost... this is the responsibility of RS to track profit/cost changes on products that are connected via the PO system. I'd like further clarification on how the PO system is connected with Inventory refills. If the inventory "cost" field updates based on the products order through the PO system that would be excellent. Otherwise... reports and everything else will be incorrect.
4. Again, I'll look into the PO area of RS - hope to get clarification on the connection between PO Order Cost Field and Inventory Cost fields - Hopefully they are connected correctly.
5. I disagree with you here - When you have more than a dozen employees or multiple locations - you depend on the systems ability (RS) to track these activities (loss prevention). It's hard to watch everything that is going on. So if something is fishy... it is mandatory to have the ability to actually research and audit the history of any user that is related to the "fishy" transaction. I'm simply stating that security should be important here.
6. Agree - Excited to see it - Agree its not a priority - just more of a thought to keep track of.
6. As far as the MARKETR side: I believe this is already planned to make ordering parts/services online. This is NOT a priority to get this module up and running. It can be added at a later date.
In any case comment: I disagree - just because the details are here does not mean that they are unimportant/unneeded. I was simple creating a "road map" for what could potentially happen. It's unrealistic to think this will all occur at once.
Thanks!
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Ryan (Power User AP, RepairShopr) commented
I NEED MORE VOTES! AHHHHHHHH!
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Ryan (Power User AP, RepairShopr) commented
HOLY GOD we want this! BUT..... this has WAY too many specific details that make this requests difficult to become a reality. I feel like @Troy and @Robert saw this and decided TLDR (understandably) because they have a big list of things they are working on. Here's the big picture that can be immediately:
1. We need the option for serial numbers/unique ID numbers on certain inventory items. This could be done by either having an extra field that stores unique serial numbers, or by "linking" that inventory item to a small database item.
2. As far as the INVENTORY side; all that needs to happen is it keeps track of how many are left, and that a new unique key is used each time. The only way it makes sense is to "show" a key after an invoice is created. You only need to "view" a key immediately before installing it, and if you are going to view/install it, it needs to be paid for. If for some reason you need to delete the inventory line item from an invoice, it would be nice if it would re-add to the database of unused keys, but that may be much more difficult.
3. As far as the "IMPORTANT NOTE" about pricing (cost) changes: When purchasing new product, that is up to the purchaser to be using PO's correctly; NOT anything RS needs to change. If you order 50 serial keys for $200 one time, and then two weeks later pay $225 for 50 keys, you enter that you paid that on your PO. That will keep track of the costs. We can't expect RS to keep track of individual costs per batch. Just like any other inventory, a cost is assumed if inventory is purchased without a PO, period.
4. There's really no reason to have a "restock" button. Restocking is up to the person who re-orders inventory. Whatever is in stock is available to sell; if it shows only 1 left and you sell it - you're out of stock just like anything else and you need to make a new PO or order/input more inventory in manually.
5. As far as the POS; that's simply a quick invoice. It will be handled the same way as a regular invoice. It pulls a key, puts it on the invoice, and it gets paid. Worrying about your tech's stealing is each owners responsibility to monitor and handle, not RS. As it stands - they already have a built in auditing system which works well enough to keep the honest people honest.
6. As far as the MARKETR side: I believe this is already planned to make ordering parts/services online. This is NOT a priority to get this module up and running. It can be added at a later date.
IN ANY CASE: This request literally described (perfectly) something we really want. It also included 8 paragraphs of unnecessary details that can potentially be added over time. In the meantime, PLEASE make the basics of this happen!
Thanks!